The University of Michigan Board of Regents will consider a $4 million renovation project that will relocate the Army, Navy and Airforce Officer Education programs into the Chemistry Building, Willard Henry Dow Laboratory and Alexander G. Ruthven Museums Building.

The project will relocate the programs from North Hall.

About 15,000 square feet of former teaching laboratories, offices, and storage space in the Chemistry Building and Willard Henry Dow Laboratory will be renovated to provide spaces for administrative functions, staff lockers, break rooms, physical fitness, and rooms for student commons and storage needs, according the regents agenda.

Nearly 6,000 square feet of former library and dry collection storage spaces within the Ruthven Exhibit Building will be renovated to establish classrooms and storage.

After the project is completed and the programs have been relocated, approval for the demolition of North Hall will be sought.

The project, which will require architectural, mechanical, and electrical work, will be funded through investment proceeds.

According to the agenda, the construction cash flow may be provided, all or in part, by bond proceeds or increasing commercial paper issuance under the commercial paper program. The commercial paper issuance would be secured by a pledge of General Revenues and authorized by the Board of Regents.

Architectural firm SmithGroupJJR will design the project, which is expected to provide about 19 on-site construction jobs. The project is set to begin in the spring of 2014.

The regents will consider the project at its 3 p.m. Friday meeting at the Harding Mott University Center, at the University of Michigan-Flint campus.

The Museum of Natural History exhibit is currently housed in the Ruthven Exhibit Building and officials announced in February plans to transfer thousands of bones and other artifacts from the school's downtown campus to a facility on Varsity Drive at the edge of the city.

In early October, The Ann Arbor News reported that the university's biology program, which is housed in outdated buildings, may soon have a new location

U-M plans to construct a new biology building, and officials plan to bring the project to regents sometime this fall.

Hank Baier, associate vice president for facilities and operations, said that the new building will include the Museum of Natural History exhibit that is currently housed in the Ruthven Exhibit Building.

U-M officials were originally planning to renovate the Ruthven Exhibit Building to accommodate the biology program, but have decided to relocate the education programs there instead.

Katrease Stafford covers Ypsilanti for The Ann Arbor News. Reach her at KatreaseStafford@mlive.com or 734-623-2548 and follow her on Twitter.